Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-03-15
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, March 15, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] IN/L FURNITURE FAIR OPENS IN THESSALONIKI
[02] PRODI IN THESSALONIKI FOR EU ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
[03] GREEK ALTERNATE FM, ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MEET
[04] PANEUROPEAN AXIS X AGREEMENT SIGNED TODAY
[05] COALITION LEADER TO BRIEF FM ON FYROM CONTACTS
[06] KEP LEADER APPLIES FOR 100-MILLION-GRD LOAN
[07] UNEMPLOYMENT DECLINED IN 2000, STATISTICS SHOW
[08] THESSALONIKI TO HOST COPEAM's 8TH CONFERENCE
[09] STATE URGES PUBLIC: STAY HOME TO MAKE CENSUS
[10] A THESSALONIKI MUNICIPALITY DELEGATION LEFT FOR ISTANBUL
[11] ANNUAL IMPORTS OF ITALIAN FURNITURE WORTH 129 MILLION EURO IN
GREECE
[12] PLEASANT SURPRISE IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[13] ATHENS IS IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH SKOPJE AND THE EU
[14] PAPANDREOU-CEM MEETING IN ANKARA
[15] THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC IN THESSALONIKI'S MEGARON MUSIC HALL
[16] SIMITIS AND KOSTOV DISCUSSED THE DEVELOPMENTS IN FYROM
[17] A COOPERATION MEMORANDUM WAS SIGNED BY THE AXIS X COUNTRIES
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] THE UNDERSECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MET WITH THE ICAO
PRESIDENT
[19] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION AGAINST THE ALBANIAN
EXTREMISTS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] IN/L FURNITURE FAIR OPENS IN THESSALONIKI
Furnidec and Furnima, two "twin" international furniture
trade fairs will official open their gates to the public today,
at the Thessaloniki Trade Fair Center.
The twin fair, organised by Helexpo, will host some of the
biggest names in furniture from Greece and abroad until Monday,
March 19.
According to Helexpo, Furnidec will cover an area of 18,000
square meters, with the participation of 358 exhibitors - 300 from
Greece and 58 from abroad.
Furnima, a wood processing equipment fair, will cover an area
of 6,000 square meters with 151 exhibitors - 90 from Greece and 61
from abroad.
[02] PRODI IN THESSALONIKI FOR EU ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
European Commission President Romano Prodi will be in
Thessaloniki on March 31, to attend commemorative events on the
20th anniversary of Greece's accession to the European Union.
The celebrations will also be attended by Prime Minister
Costas Simitis and European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine,
as well as other dignitaries.
The events will also include three forums: "Greece in Europe-
20 years of future prospects", "Economic and regional development
in Greece and Europe" and "Enlargement and future organization in
Europe."
The government has chosen Thessaloniki for the events in
order to promote the northern port city's European character and
role.
[03] GREEK ALTERNATE FM, ROMANIAN PRESIDENT MEET
Greece's Alternate Foreign Minister Elizabeth Papazoi,
currently on an official visit to Romania, met with Romanian
President Ion Iliescu yesterday and relayed Greece's readiness to
contribute to Romania's progress and procedures for accession into
the European Union.
Both sides underlined that Romania's and Bulgaria's accession
into the European Union would constitute an element of stability
and economic development throughout the region.
President Iliescu expressed his satisfaction over the
development of bilateral relations and noted the important Greek
presence in the investment sector. The Romanian president has
accepted an invitation by his Greek counterpart Kostis
Stephanopoulos to visit Greece in the first 10 days of December.
[04] PANEUROPEAN AXIS X AGREEMENT SIGNED TODAY
Ministers from seven Balkan countries are to meet in
Thessaloniki today in order to sign a memorandum of cooperation
among the Paneuropean X axis, a route connecting Greece, FYROM,
Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Austria.
The memorandum calls for upgrading and improving the Axis, an
artery linking the cities of Thessaloniki, Skopje, Belgrade,
Budapest, Ljubljana, Nis and Salzburg.
Greece's Minister of Transportation and Communications
Christos Verelis underlined the significance of today's meeting,
since, as he stated, it grants Greece the opportunity to
contribute to the development of the road and railway axis and,
subsequently, to the economies of the region's countries.
Greece presently holds the presidency of the Axis X
Administrative Committee.
[05] COALITION LEADER TO BRIEF FM ON FYROM CONTACTS
The leader of Greece's minor opposition party Coalition for
the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) Nikos Constantopoulos, who
yesterday concluded a visit to FYROM, is to meet with Foreign
Minister George Papandreou in order to discuss the latest
developments in FYROM, where the situation at the border appears
to be worsening. Mr. Constantopoulos is to brief the FM on the
outcome of his talks with FYROM's president, premier, foreign
minister and leaders of opposition parties.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Constantopoulos stated the
Skopje's political leadership is profoundly concerned over the
future and is fearing that the crisis will spread into the greater
Balkan region. Moreover, the coalition leader asked the Greek
government to undertake initiatives within the European Union and
other international organizations, so as to isolate the mechanisms
"playing with fire" and achieve peace and stability in the region.
A trilateral meeting among the foreign ministers of Greece,
Albanian and FYROM is to be imminently held.
[06] KEP LEADER APPLIES FOR 100-MILLION-GRD LOAN
Athens Mayor and leader of the newly-founded Movement of Free
Citizens (KEP) Dimitris Avrampoulos applied for a 100-million-
drachma loan today, in order to finance the party's commencement.
Addressing reporters after meeting with the governor of the
National Bank of Greece Theodoros Karatzas, Mr. Avramopoulos
pointed out that this was the first time such a move had been made
by a Greek political party, adding that it was part of KEP's
policy to maintain transparency in its finances.
Moreover, he stated that individual citizens are expected to
provide support to the party through donations.
[07] UNEMPLOYMENT DECLINED IN 2000, STATISTICS SHOW
The country's unemployment rate showed a small decline during
the second quarter of 2000, registering at 11.1% as opposed to the
previous quarter's 12.1%, according to the National Statistics
Agency (NSA).
Also, according to data reviewed by the Ministry of Labor and
Social Insurance, the joblessness rate among the registered
workforce is expected to show a further decline in the third
quarter of 2000.
The NSA study showed that the number of unemployed fell below
the 500,000 mark, although women continue to be the hardest-hit
among the labor force, with 16.7% of them in search of work, as
opposed to men where the unemployment rate is 7.3 percent.
A significant drop was also noted in the rate of the newly-
jobless, having fallen from 244,000 in 1999 to 221,000 in the
first half of 2000, while the rate among the long-term
unemployment has also dropped to 286,000 from 1999's 306,000.
[08] THESSALONIKI TO HOST COPEAM's 8TH CONFERENCE
The eight annual conference of Copeam (the Permanent
Conference of the operators of the Mediterranean Audiovisual) is
to be held in Thessaloniki on March 28-31, themed after
"Mediterranean identities: Crisis issues and the mass media's
responsibility".
The conference is organized by Greece's state-owned ERT-3, in
cooperation with COPEAM and the Mediterranean Association of
Television Stations.
COPEAM was established in 1996 in Cairo, where it became a
non-profit International Association with a Chairmanship, three
vice presidents, an office, a committee and a general secretariat.
COPEAM numbers 80 founding members, five inter-government
institutions, two international agencies, five international
associations, 31 radiotelevision bodies, 12 professional
independent agencies and 10 operators.
The cooperation among the European, African and Mediterranean
television station aims at designating – through audio-visual
means- a "renewed Mediterranean policy".
[09] STATE URGES PUBLIC: STAY HOME TO MAKE CENSUS
The National Statistical Service is to conduct the
millennium's first population and housing census on Sunday, March
18, which will include Greeks living abroad and undocumented
migrants.
While the state has appealed that the respondents remain in
their regular place of residence, the traffic police are to boost
patrols on the highways in anticipation of the masses who are
expected to flock to their place of origin.
The census, which will include Greek citizens, foreigners,
economic immigrants and travelers, has three characteristics: it
is obligatory for all inhabitants in the country, all information
will be classified and there will be no religious restrictions. It
will be carried out by 150,000 enumerators - including university
graduates and unemployed individuals- who will visit every
household in the country.
The 18-billion-drachma census will consist of three different
groups of statistics: an overall count of all who reside in Greece
on March 18; a total count of "permanent" residents - which
includes foreigners who have been living in Greece for at least
six months; and a total count of all legal residents.
The enumerators will visit all houses and apartment
buildings, as well as shacks, Gypsy settlements and prefabricated
housing settlements accommodating quake-victims in western and
northern Athens suburbs. They will also approach the homeless at
shelters and on the street.
The questions will cover everything from the number of
persons per household and marital status to place of residence one
year and five years ago, nationality and education. Foreigners
will be asked to state when they arrived in Greece, their country
of origin and the reasons why they reside here. The government
believes it will take 10 months to review the data before
publishing the conclusions.
[10] A THESSALONIKI MUNICIPALITY DELEGATION LEFT FOR ISTANBUL
A Thessaloniki municipality delegation headed by mayor
Vasilis Papageorgopooulos left for Istanbul to meet with
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos and Istanbul mayor Ali Mufit
Gurtuna.
During the meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr.
Papageorgopoulos will inform him on the intention of the
municipality of Thessaloniki to offer its economic assistance to
the work of the Patriarchate.
[11] ANNUAL IMPORTS OF ITALIAN FURNITURE WORTH 129 MILLION EURO IN
GREECE
Furniture of 129 million Euro are imported annually by
Greece. However, the Italian firms active in the sector are
seeking to further strengthen their commercial presence in Greece
which has become obvious through the participation of tens of
furniture manufacturers from Italy in the 23rd FURNIDEC
International Trade Exhibition that is being held in Thessaloniki.
In the exhibition participate 40 Italian furniture
manufacturers, pioneers in the area of furniture and decoration,
and their goal is to promote the new tendencies in design.
Italy is the leading furniture exporter worldwide. The main
clients of the Italian furniture industry are Germany (19.8%), the
United States (13.8%) and France (11.9%).
[12] PLEASANT SURPRISE IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Significant gains were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The general index rose to 2.37% at 3.135,93 points, while
the volume of transactions was satisfactory at 300.5 million Euro
or 102.4 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 287 recorded gains and 56 had
losses, while the value of 27 stocks remained stable.
[13] ATHENS IS IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH SKOPJE AND THE EU
The Greek foreign ministry in a statement it has issued
expresses strong concern on the developments in Skopje and
especially in Tetovo, condemns the actions by Albanian terrorist
organizations on the FYROM territory and reiterates Greece's
support to the FYROM territorial integrity and the inviolability
of the borders.
Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis stated that
Athens watches closely the situation in FYROM, while Greek
ambassador Giorgos Kaklikis is in constant communication with his
counterparts in the European Union and the FYROM leadership.
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou had a telephone
communication yesterday with his FYROM counterpart Sertzan Kerim,
who was invited by the Swedish EU presidency to attend the EU
General Affairs Council meeting on Monday.
In an effort to achieve the coordination of the European
Union countries in the council meeting, Mr. Papandreou will
contact his counterparts from Germany, France, Britain and Sweden
this afternoon.
The impression the Greek minister got during his recent
contacts in Skopje is that reason will prevail in all the Albanian-
speaking political forces in order to avoid the spread of the
crisis.
The Greek foreign ministry insists that KFOR should assume
its responsibilities and materialize the mandate of the UN
Security Council resolution 1244 because only this way it will
contribute to the solution of the crisis. It characterizes as
positive developments the operational mobility of the
international force, the reduction of the neutral zone size and
the deployment of Serb forces in the eastern sector of the zone.
The developments in Skopje will be at the center of the talks
NATO secretary-general George Robertson will have with the Greek
leadership in Athens tomorrow. According to information, the Greek
government is expected to request a more dynamic response by NATO
for the settlement of the crisis that has broken out in FYROM.
[14] PAPANDREOU-CEM MEETING IN ANKARA
Greek foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou will visit Ankara
on April 6 for talks with his Turkish counterpart Ismail Cem. The
two men will have another meeting in Athens in October.
Their talks will focus on regional developments and
especially, the situation in the Balkans. They will also discuss
the course of bilateral relations and the Cyprus issue.
The Greek foreign minister hopes that by then most of the
Greek-Turkish agreements concerning "low policy" issues will be
ratified in parliament. Four of the nine agreements signed by
Papandreou and Cem have already been ratified.
[15] THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC IN THESSALONIKI'S MEGARON MUSIC HALL
One of the most famous orchestras in Europe, the Vienna
Philharmonic, will perform in Thessaloniki's Megaron Music Hall on
March 19.
The orchestra will present Schubert's symphony number 9 and
Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony.
The event is held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of
the death of Nikolaos Doumbas, a distinguished Greek merchant, who
lived in Vienna and was elected to the Imperial Parliament.
[16] SIMITIS AND KOSTOV DISCUSSED THE DEVELOPMENTS IN FYROM
Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis discussed the
developments in FYROM with his Bulgarian counterpart Ivan Kostov
in the telephone communication they had this morning, while they
also agreed on a framework of initiatives aimed at safeguarding
stability in the region.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas stated that the
communication was made at the initiative of Mr. Kostov. In an
earlier communication, the two leaders had agreed that the crisis
in the region must be dealt with by using diplomatic and political
means and not through the deployment of troops from neighboring
countries, while the undertaking of initiatives for the handling
of the crisis in the region must be based on the UN decisions.
The developments in the region will be discussed in
tomorrow's meeting of prime minister Kostas Simitis with NATO
secretary-general George Robertson, who will be on a visit to
Athens. Mr. Reppas did not rule out the likelihood of a
communication between Mr. Simitis and his FYROM counterpart Ljupco
Georgievski as well as, Yugoslav president Voislav Kostunica
clarifying, however, that this is not scheduled.
Responding to relevant questions, the government spokesman
pointed out that KFOR must be more effective and intensify its
efforts in order to be able to put the situation under control.
Mr. Reppas also said that the political leaderships in all
the countries in the region have condemned the extremist stance
adopted by the Albanian terrorists.
[17] A COOPERATION MEMORANDUM WAS SIGNED BY THE AXIS X COUNTRIES
A memorandum of cooperation was signed in Thessaloniki today
by the transportation ministers of the road and railway axis X
countries, who also expressed their support to the FYROM
government which lives through difficult times because of the
Albanian extremists.
In the signing ceremony Greek transportation minister
Christos Verelis stated that the specific network strengthens
stability in the region. The axis X links the cities of
Thessaloniki, Skopje, Belgrade, Budapest, Ljubljana, Nis and
Salzburg. Mr. Verelis stated that axis X is one of the most
developed road and railway axis as 55% of its network is a
motorway, 35% of its railway network is of a double direction and
85% of it is electricity powered. By the year 2010 more than half
of its railway network will be of double direction.
He also said that the common goal of the interested countries
is the complete reconstruction, restoration and upgrading of axis
X as well as, its harmonization with the European standards. Mr.
Verelis underlined, among others, that the efforts of the axis X
transportation ministers focus on the improvement of
transportation in the region of southeastern Europe and the
creation of competitive conditions aimed at reducing the distance
between central and western Europe.
According to the transportation ministries of the countries
involved in axis X, 53% of the road network is fully operational
and by 2005 it will be completed repaired and upgraded. Regarding
the axis X railway network, 52% of it is fully operational, while
it will be completely repaired and upgraded by 2010.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
[18] THE UNDERSECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MET WITH THE ICAO
PRESIDENT
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) president
Assad Kotaite expressed his total satisfaction regarding the
specifications and the safety standards of the new Athens airport
at Spata, after the meeting he had in Montreal with visiting Greek
undersecretary of foreign affairs Grigoris Niotis, who continues
his tour of Canada.
Mr. Kotaite underlined that the Spata Airport is safe given
the fact that himself had visited the facilities last September.
He also expressed the wish to be able to attend the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens, underlining that the games will be held
in the country where they were born.
[19] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION AGAINST THE ALBANIAN
EXTREMISTS
The European Parliament plenary session adopted with a big
majority a resolution against the armed attacks launched by
Albanian extremists at the FYROM-Kosovo borders and in south
Serbia.
The European Parliament resolution calls on all the parties
involved to respect the borders of the southeastern European
countries and requests from the European Union institutions to
back the FYROM efforts aimed at the preservation of peace in the
region and the solution of the crisis.
Also, all Albanian political parties in FYROM are called to
condemn the Albanian extremist attacks and cooperate with the
Skopje government, while it is recommended to the Montenegro
authorities to take under serious consideration the fragile
balance in the region and avoid any unilateral action that could
deteriorate the present situation.
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